who's

MAY

I was raised in a world of invention and education.
Daughter of an engineer and an entrepreneur,
Granddaughter of refugees
Who fled the Chinese revolution.
This scholar's calligraphy brush belonged to my grandfather-
He was the first to teach me to paint.

MY GRANDFATHER ESCAPED TO TAIWAN WITH ONLY
THE CLOTHES ON HIS BACK.
THE DISCIPLINED SON OF A THREE-STAR GENERAL,
HE REINVENTED HIMSELF BY JOINING THE
TAIWANESE AIR FORCE,
BUILDING A LIFE BY TAKING TO THE SKY.

EVERY DAY, WITHOUT FAIL,
HE WOKE BEFORE DAWN
TO PERFORM THE SAME QUIET, PATIENT TAI CHI RITUAL.
HE WAS THE TOUGHEST MAN I HAVE EVER KNOWN.

EVERY DAY, WITHOUT FAIL,
HE WOKE BEFORE DAWN
TO PERFORM THE SAME QUIET, PATIENT TAI CHI RITUAL.
HE WAS THE TOUGHEST MAN
I HAVE EVER KNOWN.

MY GRANDMOTHER FLED CHINA BY BOAT,
DRIFTING AT SEA FOR DAYS WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER.
A SPOILED, HIGH-BORN DAUGHTER OF LANDOWNERS,
SHE LOST EVERYTHING AND NEVER SAW HER PARENTS AGAIN.
‍
IN TAIWAN, SHE MET MY GRANDFATHER
AND BECAME A TEACHER.
IN AN ERA WHEN WOMEN WERE EXPECTED NOT TO WORK,
SHE HELD THREE JOBS SO HER CHILDREN
COULD ATTEND THE BEST SCHOOLS.

THEIR RESILIENCE, INGENUITY, DISCIPLINE,
AND ABSOLUTE COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION
SHAPED MY VERY CORE

MY FATHER BROUGHT HIS YOUNG FAMILY TO THE UNITED STATES, STUDYING RELENTLESSLY TO BECOME
A SCIENTIST AND ENGINEER.
NOW WELL INTO HIS SEVENTIES,
HE IS STILL WORKING, THINKING, INVENTING.
HE HOLDS MORE THAN 100 U.S. PATENTS AND COUNTING

MY MOTHER IS A LIFELONG ENTREPRENEUR.
HER CAREER SPANNED BANKING, ACCOUNTING, TEACHING, HOSPITALITY, REAL ESTATE.
IN A LINE OF HARDWORKING CREATIVES,
SHE IS THE MOST TIRELESS OF ALL

WHEN I GOT STUCK THEY WOULD SAY:
‘JUST THINK ABOUT IT A DIFFERENT WAY.’

MY OWN PATH BEGAN WITH ART AND SOCIAL SERVICE – ROOTED IN THE SAME CURIOSITY AND CRAFT THAT SHAPED MY FAMILY.
AS A TEEN, I STUDIED AT THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART,
LEARNING TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH SHADOW, FORM, AND MATERIAL.
IN COLLEGE, I MINORED IN FINE ART, DEEPENING A PRACTICE THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF MY HAND,
EVEN WHEN MY CAREER TOOK ME ELSEWHERE.

I BEGAN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE IN SOCIAL SERVICE,
WITH A JOYFUL COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING AT-RISK COMMUNITIES.

WHILE WORKING FULL-TIME,
I COMPLETED A DOCTORATE IN EDUCATION AT UCLA.

I WAS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF A SMALL FOUNDATION WHEN I BECAME A MOTHER.
I ACHED TO BE WITH MY SWEET SON, AND REALIZED I NEEDED TO REIMAGINE WHAT WORK COULD LOOK LIKE

SO I STUDIED. I INVESTED. I BUILT.
I BOUGHT REAL ESTATE.
RENOVATED HOMES, BECAME A LANDLORD, STAGED
AND FLIPPED PROPERTIES.
AND IN THOSE SPACES – LAYER BY LAYER, ROOM BY ROOM – MY LIFELONG LOVE FOR DESIGN UNFURLED INTO A PRACTICE.

My husband and I hosted our first Airbnb in 2013. Through it, we discovered a deep and lasting pleasure in hospitality — in creating spaces where others could arrive, exhale, and feel cared for.

I LEARNED DESIGN BY DOING, FIRST FOR MYSELF,
THEN FOR MANY OTHERS.
EVERY DESIGNER HAS AN ORIGIN STORY. MINE WAS ALWAYS THERE –
IN THE DRAWINGS PILED IN SKETCHBOOKS,
IN HOURS SPENT INSIDE MUSEUM GALLERIES,
IN THE QUIET SATISFACTION OF MAKING SOMETHING
WITH MY HANDS,
SOMETHING BETTER THAN IT WAS BEFORE.

I DIDN’T BECOME A DESIGNER BY ACCIDENT.
I BECAME A DESIGNER BY RETURNING
TO WHAT I HAD ALWAYS LOVED

TODAY, EVERYTHING WE DO IS FOR
OUR TWO BEAUTIFUL SONS.
THEIR BRIGHT EYES BRING EVERYTHING GOOD INTO FOCUS.
TOGETHER, WE TRY TO LIVE OUR BELIEFS IN:
EDUCATION, CREATIVITY, HARD WORK, HONOR, GRATITUDE,
AND THE JOY OF DOING THINGS WELL.

WE BELIEVE IN…

MOVING FORWARD EVEN WHEN LIFE TAKES A SHARP TURN

APPROACHING PROBLEMS WITH CREATIVITY AND PERSISTENCE

WORKING WITH HONOR

THE JOY OF DOING THINGS WELL

FINDING THE BEAUTY ALREADY PRESENT — AND BRINGING IT FORWARD

THINKING WITH BOTH YOUR HANDS AND YOUR HEAD

BEING COMMITTED TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

MAKING CONNECTIONS ACROSS GENERATIONS